ABC News announced late on Tuesday, February 23 that it will be reducing its news staff by about 25 percent. The layoffs would affect between 300 and 400 employees. This is expected to happen over the next 60 days.
ABC News currently has about 1,500 employees and is a division of The Walt Disney Company.
David Westin, ABC News president, sent out a memo to news staff members explaining that ABC News would be transforming into a smaller organization. In the memo, he explained, “The time has come to rethink how we do what we are doing" citing the fact that the economy is putting pressure on the broadcast business.
The staff reduction will be in the form of layoffs and buyouts, according to ABC. The number of layoffs will depend on how many employees agree to a buyout.
In an article in the New York Times, one ABC News employee stated, “It’s been very gloomy here for a while now ... But everyone sees the reality of the industry, and everyone wants to stay competitive.”
Plans for streamlining ABC after the staff reduction include combining the staffs of both the weekend and weekday shows such as Good Morning America and World News. Shows such as 20/20, considered newsmagazines" will be farmed out to freelancers.
Locally in Rhode Island, ABC News is on WLNE-6.
sources: ABC, NYT.com
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